On today's sports cover, Steven Krasner takes stock of the Red Sox on an off-day, looking at the biggest potential issues that could impede their run to the postseason. Mike Szostak gets Doc Rivers' take on the eve of Celtics-Cavaliers Game Six, and Jim Donaldson tells Sen. Arlen Specter where to go.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to play in the first of three extended spring training games on Saturday.
A-Rod hasn't seen game action since April 28 because of a strained right quadriceps. He hopes to rejoin the team Tuesday.
Before New York's game against Tampa Bay on Thursday, he ran the bases for the first time since going on the disabled list.
"We have one more day tomorrow to see how my body is going to react," Rodriguez said. "Saturday, Sunday, Monday, play, and then hopefully tee it up Tuesday."
Rodriguez will play third in two of the three games, and is slated to bat five times each day. Rodriguez will be able to bat every inning in the less formal extended spring games.
"Right now it's getting the confidence, getting some games and at-bats under my belt," he said.
Bartolo Colon, in his second Triple-A start since a stint on the disabled list, threw six innings of one-hit, shutout ball as the Pawtucket Red Sox beat the Buffalo Bisons, 2-0, today in Buffalo. The game was only seven innings under Triple-A rules, because it is part of a double header. Colon struck out four batters, all of them looking, did not walk anyone and needed only 64 pitches to get through the six innings.
The PawSox scored both of their runs in the first, on an RBI single by George Kottaras and a sacrifice fly by Sandy Madera.
As Steve Krasner reported today, Colon could be a candidate to start for the Red Sox against Kansas City on Tuesday, now that Clay Buchholz has been placed on the disabled list.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) - Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson will miss Game 6 of Cleveland's playoff against the Boston Celtics after separating his left shoulder during the second half Wednesday night.
Gibson, one of the Cavs' best perimeter shooters, left early in the fourth quarter following a collision and did not return. The team estimated he would miss one to two weeks.
The Cavaliers trail 3-2 in the best-of-seven series and could be eliminated Friday night.
Gibson emerged as a star in Game 6 of last year's Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.
Slate says: TD Banknorth Garden is cheesy and generic. Why do Celtics keep winning there?
We've remarked upon it ourselves, and the point is pretty obvious: Going to a Celtics game is not quite the experience that it used to be, back in the days of Bird, McHale and Parish.
BOSTON — When historians look back on these last days of American hegemony, they will perhaps point to our blunders in Iraq or the fall of the once-mighty dollar as the first signs of our impending decline. I fear, however, that future scholars may overlook an equally ominous recent development: the invention of the T-shirt cannon. This device—used to project balled-up T-shirts into the farthest reaches of sports arenas—has proliferated among the NBA franchises with alarming speed. Last night, during breaks in the action between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, Lucky, the Celtics' mascot, pranced onto the court brandishing this weapon, using its coveted ammunition to work the crowd into a lather. That he succeeded despite the fact that every ticket holder had already been given a free Celtics T-shirt seemed to this fan a clear indication that our society's best days are behind it.
If Celtics make conference finals, Chauncey Billups will be ready
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) - All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups has practiced with the Detroit Pistons and is expected to be ready to play in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Detroit coach Flip Saunders says Billups looked good enough in practice Thursday that he could have played if there was a game. Billups missed the last two games against the Orlando Magic in the second round with a strained right hamstring.
The Pistons will open the conference finals Sunday if the Boston Celtics eliminate the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 6 on Friday. If the Cavs extend the series to Game 7, the conference finals are expected to begin Tuesday night.
Ken Read's crew off on Ocean Race qualifier (with photos)
The following came to us last night from PUMA Ocean Racing's senior communications manager, Rob Penner:
Two days after PUMA Ocean Racing christened its ferocious black boat il mostro - Italian for The Monster - in Boston Harbor, Ken Read and his crew headed out to sea to complete its 2,000-mile qualifier for entry into the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. Il Mostro and PUMA Ocean Racing's other boat, Avanti, left Boston, on a bright sunny day around 10am and will be out on the waters of the Atlantic for the next several days.
"We're pretty much heading out and just seeing where the wind will take us," said Read. "The qualifier is probably something we could have done later in the summer, but we wanted to start checking off the boxes early on the things we needed to do before we get closer to the race."
PUMA Ocean Racing photographer Sally Collison jumped on-board for the first hour of the trip and grabbed these shots.
Matt Walsh describes his duties in depth in N.Y. Times interview
The New York Times has posted the entire transcript of an interview Wednesday in which Matt Walsh discussed his Patriots career with reporter Greg Bishop. It was Walsh's first interview with the news media, the Times says. The text casts much more light on how Walsh describes his duties with Patriots than most news stories could, including just what he was doing in the days before the Super Bowl against the Rams. The question that no one has definitively answered: How much did all this help the Patriots?
LAS VEGAS (AP) - A prosecutor says retired NBA star Charles Barkley will face felony charges if he fails to repay a $400,000 gambling debt to a Las Vegas Strip casino.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger says Barkley will get a chance to make restitution to Wynn Las Vegas to avoid felony bad check charges.
The casino alleges in court documents filed Wednesday that Barkley failed to repay four $100,000 casino markers, or loans, he received last Oct. 18 and 19.
Barkley played 16 NBA seasons. He's now a basketball analyst for TNT.
Red Sox' Lester pitching free ice coffees in Warwick
Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester is tossing free ice coffees today to customers of the Dunkin' Donuts on 1678 Post Road, Warwick. A company spokeswoman said Lester is there now and probably will leave by noon.
Lester is pitching in on a Dunkin' Donuts promotion that gives customers a free 16-ounce (small) iced coffee from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at participating shops nationwide.
Two customers in Warwick will win a pair of Red Sox tickets each to an upcoming Red Sox home game.
Steve Krasner reviews Sox' problems at quarter-point of season
The Boston Red Sox have basically completed one-quarter of the season.
They had yesterday off as an opportunity to lick their wounds and assess their M*A*S*H issues after a disappointing 4-6 trip through Detroit, Minnesota and Baltimore that finished with four losses in a row and five in the last six games.
Tonight they will open up the interleague portion of their schedule when the Milwaukee Brewers, featuring embattled closer Eric Gagne (remember him?) and ex-Sox player and minor-league manager Gabe Kapler, will visit Fenway Park for a three-game set.
Check around the baseball world and experts still consider the Red Sox to be the class of the American League and a good bet to make it back to the World Series with a chance to claim back-to-back World Championships, even if they are a half-game behind the surprising Tampa Bay Rays in the A.L. East.
But no team is perfect. The Sox aren't going to waltz to the A.L. crown just by showing up and throwing their gloves on the field.
This interlude in the schedule provides an opportunity to discuss some concerns facing the Red Sox at the quarter-pole.
Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. Today's topics: Hideki Okajima's ineffectiveness with runners on base, and what the Red Sox have to do about it, the team's hot-and-cold nature in the early part of the season, and Manny Ramirez's endless entertainment value.
A day after its front-page apology to the Patriots made national news, the Boston Herald today is running an editor's note defending John Tomase, the reporter whose story about the Rams Super Bowl walkthrough eventually led to the apology, and reported that Tomase himself will write about the controversy tomorrow.
"We thought our story was solid. It wasn't. And we owned up to it," said the letter, signed by editor and chief Kevin Convey.
"Nevertheless, I continue to stand behind the work of the Herald sports department and John Tomase, a talented journalist who has dealt with this difficult matter professionally while continuing to do his job under intense pressure."
On today's sports cover, Kevin McNamara and Bill Reynolds write from the Garden, where the Celtics won for the seventh time in seven playoff tries; Steven Krasner has the story of a bullpen meltdown by the Red Sox in Baltimore; and the AP has Robert Kraft's reaction to the Spygate apology issued by the Boston Herald.
Brown lacrosse goalie Jordan Burke is the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Division I player of the year, freshman attackman Andrew Feinberg the rookie of the year and Lars Tiffany the coach of the year.
In addition, sophomore attackman Thomas Mldoon, sophomore midfielder Zach Caldwell and defenseman Reed Deluca and Burke were named first-team All-New England. Junior attackman Kyle Hollingsworth and senior midfielder Michael Cummins made second-team.
Brown was 11-3 and shared the Ivy League championship with Cornell.
Revolution qualify for American Champions League tournament
FOXBORO, Mass. – The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today that the New England Revolution will compete as one of four U.S. entries in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League tournament, which begins in August 2008.
The Revolution is one of 24 teams – and four U.S.-based teams – participating in the first-ever regional Champions League event, which brings together champion-caliber teams from the U.S., Mexico and the rest of Central America and the Caribbean in a club championship patterned after Europe’s Champions League and South America’s Copa Libertadores. The Revolution will be joined in the tournament by U.S. clubs D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA.
“We are thrilled to participate in the CONCACAF Champions League,” Revolution General Manager Craig Tornberg said following the announcement. “This is an exciting and unique opportunity for the Revolution. No other professional sport in this country plays tournaments – at a team level – against international opponents. Having qualified for this tournament, we have the ability to match our team against the finest clubs in our region while battling for tremendous prestige on an international level.
“We’re looking forward to this opportunity and bringing more world-class soccer to our area later this year,” Tornberg said.
The Revolution earned its berth in the tournament by virtue of its runner-up status at MLS Cup 2007. The Revolution also secured a place in the draw through its 2007 U.S. Open Cup championship. However, since the team had already claimed a spot in the tournament as MLS Cup runner-up, Chivas USA was awarded entry after earning MLS' second-best record in 2007.
The Revolution and Chivas USA will enter the CONCACAF Champions League among 16 teams who will play in the qualifying round. Those 16 teams will play two-game, home-and-away series the final week of August and the first week in September. The winners of those total-goals series will advance to the group stage and be placed in one of four four-team groups, in which Houston (MLS Cup 2007 champion) and D.C. (2007 Supporters Shield winner) have already been placed with Mexico's top two entrants plus Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador's top qualifiers.
The full 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League draw will be announced on June 11, 2008.
The CONCACAF Champions League winner will qualify as the CONCACAF representative to the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup.
For more information on the tournament, visit concacaf.com, and the full text of CONCACAF's release about the tournament format - which includes the tournament schedule - follows.
Sporting News picks Ainge as NBA Executive of the Year
The Sporting News has named Danny Ainge the 2007-2008 NBA Executive of the Year.
The Sporting News polled general managers and other executives from all 30 teams, and Ainge received 18 of the 47 votes cast. He beat out Los Angeles Lakers general manager, Mitch Kupchak, who had 14 votes, and New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower who had 12.
"He orchestrated a stunning and record setting turnaround of a struggling team with two great trades and various other roster acquisitions," said Brian Colangelo, president and general manger of the Toronto Raptors and the 2005 Executive of the Year.
Following is the text of the statement that Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., put into the record of today's Senate floor proceedings shortly before his midday news conference at the Capitol.
FOXBORO, Mass. (AP) - New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft complimented the Boston Herald on Wednesday for apologizing for a story that said his team videotaped a St. Louis Rams walkthrough before the 2002 Super Bowl.
He's "very disappointed," though, that the newspaper "wrote a story that was completely false and unsubstantiated," Kraft said in an interview with The Associated Press.
He also said he doesn't know why former New England video assistant Matt Walsh didn't refute the story soon after it came out on Feb. 2, the day before the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants, 17-14, ruining their quest for an unbeaten season.
"I must compliment the Boston Herald for doing what is unprecedented in terms of recognizing their error in a major way," Kraft said. "I'm really delighted with that, but I wish it never happened."
The apology came a day after a meeting between NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Walsh produced no major revelations about the team's taping procedures.
"I think I speak for all Patriot fans," Kraft said. "We're relieved that this is over and you see that this is nonsense and we were unfairly accused and we're moving on."
Kraft spoke by telephone before Sen. Arlen Specter said in Washington that he wants an independent investigation of the Patriots' taping of opposing coaches' signals similar to the Mitchell Report on performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
Patriots spokesman Stacey James said the team had no immediate comment on Specter's remarks.
Walsh told Goodell he did not tape the walkthrough and had no knowledge that any other Patriots employees did so, Goodell said. The commissioner also indicated he considered the investigation over after meeting with Walsh on Tuesday.
Goodell fined coach Bill Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 and took away a first-round draft pick this year after an investigation found the Patriots violated league rules by taping New York Jets coaches on the sideline during the season opener.
Kraft said he didn't think the investigation that began then would leave a lasting stain on the club.
"I was unhappy with what transpired in the fall, the actions of some of our employees, and we were penalized severely for that," he said. "We said back in September that we had disclosed all of our actions as an organization to the league. You can see this is true.'
"The erroneous story really led to a second round of inquisitions after September, and it really was a distraction. The sad part (is) that it took away from an 18-0 Super Bowl season."
The Herald's story cited unidentified sources and was released Feb. 2.
In the apology, published in the newspaper's Wednesday edition and posted on its Web site, the Herald said the story was based on sources "it believed to be credible."
"We now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed," the paper wrote.
"We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification. The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots' owners, players, employees and fans for our error."
The newspaper featured a front-page headline reading: "Sorry, Pats." It placed the three-paragraph apology on the back inside page of the newspaper.
Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson split up, according to Dallas Morning News
Click here to read the story. Big sports implications here. If you're an Eagles or a Giants fan, you might say this is the worst thing that has happened this offseason.
Hank Steinbrenner says Yankees must play harder and smarter
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Hank Steinbrenner expects his struggling New York Yankees to focus and turn around their season.
"They've got to play smarter and harder," he said Wednesday. "The injuries - when you're missing Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada, that makes it tough. The injuries make a huge difference. At the same time, you've got to get it done. We still have plenty of good hitters. We need to get the job done."
New York is 19-21, fourth in the AL East following a pair of losses to Tampa Bay, the surprise AL East leader.
"No question, the Rays are a hungry team," said Steinbrenner, the Yankees' co-chairman. "That's what our team has to get back."
When asked if it was time for the players to earn their money, Steinbrenner said "Yes."
Following the four-game series against the Rays, the Yankees host the New York Mets in a three-game series starting Friday. Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, traded to the Mets after the Yankees cut off talks with the Minnesota Twins, is slated to pitch the Subway Series opener Friday. Santana is 4-2 with a 3.10 ERA.
"To me, it's not any added significance because Santana is pitching. We want to win, it's that simple," Steinbrenner said. "We're both kind of struggling. We just need to win. They just need to win. We just need to keep putting wins in the win column. We've got to start racking up some runs."
Steinbrenner will likely watch Friday's game on TV in Florida, but could be at Yankee Stadium over the weekend.
"I think there is a very good chance I might go up there," he said.
Steinbrenner, in his first season overseeing the team;s baseball operations, expects the Yankees to put together a hot streak, which has become a trademark in recent years.
"We're going to do everything we can turn to it around this year," Steinbrenner said. "I guarantee we'll get his thing straight next year."
Rodriguez hasn't played since April 28 because of a strained right quadriceps and hopes to return Tuesday. Posada hasn't been able to catch for most of the season because of a right shoulder injury and won't be back until June at the earliest. Both took batting practice at the Yankees' minor league complex Wednesday.
"There's no question, when we get 100 percent healthy, we'll start hitting," Steinbrenner said. "The players, the hand they were dealt, that makes it tougher for the other hitters."
Rodriguez said it's tough not being able to contribute to the Yankees' offense, which has been sluggish.
"It's frustrating," Rodriguez said. "It's hard to watch. All I can do is cheer. I have all the confidence in the world that we're going to start scoring some runs."
Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: A very bad day in Baltimore
Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk (audio only today). Sean discusses the Red Sox' harrowing day yesterday, Josh Beckett's surprising inability to retire the Orioles' usually inept lineup, the Terry Francona-Brad Mills relationship, and the Red Sox' meeting this afternoon with Daniel Cabrera, the guy who sparked a bench-clearing incident with the Sox last September.
We recorded this interview with Shalise Manza Young this morning. She discusses covering the Spygate news conference yesterday in New York, whether the story will live on in the hearts of non-Patriots fans around the country, and whether the disclosures on the eve of the Super Bowl might have affected the team's performance in that game.
Update: Specter slams NFL's handling of Spygate, calls for independent investigation
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., called today for a "transparent and independent" investigation into allegations that the New England Patriots tried to spy on opposing teams, asserting that the practice went on more frequently than has previously been known.
Specter, who met with former Patriots' videographer Matt Walsh yesterday, also criticized what he called the National Football League's investigation into the matter.
Goodell said Walsh affirmed that he does not have, nor did he make, a tape of the St. Louis Rams’ final walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI, in 2002.
Speaking to reporters in Washington today, Specter charged among other things that, although Walsh did not tape the St. Louis Rams walkthrough practice, Walsh and several other Patriots' personnel "were present to observe most if not all" of the practice, including running back "Marshall Faulk's unusual positioning as a punt returner."
Specter, citing reports by the late journalist David Halberstam, said Patriots' coach Bill Belichick spent much time before that Super Bowl "obsessing about where the Rams would line up Faulk."
Specter, based on an interview with Walsh and other research, also asserted that although Walsh did not tape opposition practices between 2003 and 2005 -- a gap much remarked upon in the sports media -- other Patriots' personnel did tape such sessions during those years.
Specter also criticized the NFL for permitting the Patriots to have representatives on hand during yesterday's NFL questioning of Walsh. Former prosecutor Specter asserted that such a practice ran counter to the principles of objective investigations.
-- Specter criticized NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in stinging terms for what he called the league's "dribbling out" of facts about the so-called Spygate scandal and for destroying the first significant evidence in the case, tapes that the Patriots surrendered last September after the disclosure that they had videotaped New York Jets defensive signals during a game.
Specter also charged that Goodell settled on a penalty against the Patriots before he viewed the videotaped evidence of the rules infraction.
Specter did not specify who should do the investigation, but he did hold out as an example the investigation of steroids use in baseball by former Senator George Mitchell.
Right now on our Fantasy Sports Blog, you can find updated position-by-position hitter rankings, complete rankings for starting and relief pitchers, plus Michael Salfino's weekly Baseball by the Numbers column. This week, he looks at the surprising drop-off in productivity by first basemen around the league, and predicts which guys are more likely to recover as the season goes along.
BALTIMORE -- The Red Sox just placed Clay Buchholz on the disabled list because of a torn nail on the middle finger of his right hand and recalled outfielder Jonathan Van Every from Pawtucket.
The Sox are short of outfielders at the moment. J.D. Drew suffered a sprained left wrist in an unsuccessful attempt to make a diving catch in the third inning of Tuesday night's game and it's likely he'll be out for a while.
Coco Crisp had to leave the game in the sixth because of migraine-like symptoms -- an excruciating headache and vomiting. Jacoby Ellsbury, meanwhile, is playing despite a nasty bruise on his left knee and only three days ago Manny Ramirez had to miss a start because of a tight hamstring.
Buchholz was scheduled to pitch Sunday against Milwaukee. Josh Beckett will be able to make that start on normal rest because of the team's day off tomorrow. The Red Sox will need a fifth starter on Tuesday at home against Kansas City.
That also happens to be Bartolo Colon's day to pitch for Pawtucket, so if the Sox think he has had enough work for the PawSox (two starts), he could be in line for a promotion to Boston. He had been out of action since early April because of an oblique strain.
Following is a partial transcript of Patriots owner Robert Kraft's interview this morning with Scott Wapner of CNBC. Kraft spoke about Spygate and the Boston Herald's apology.
WAPNER: ROBERT KRAFT IS THE CHAIRMAN AND CEO OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AND HE'S GOING TO JOIN US FIRST ON CNBC THIS MORNING.MR. KRAFT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
KRAFT: THANK YOU, SCOTT, I WATCH ALL OF YOU IN THE MORNING.
WAPNER: WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING ON FIRST ON CNBC THIS MORNING.THE HEADLINE AT THE BOSTON HERALD SAYS IT ALL, IT SAYS SORRY, PATS, THIS IS A PAPER THAT REPORTED THE STORY BACK ON FEBRUARY 2, SAYING THAT THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS VIDEOTAPED A WALK THROUGH BEFORE SUPER BOWL 36 AGAINST THE ST. LOUIS RAMS, IT NOW SAYS THE STORY IS NOT TRUE.DO YOU FEEL VINDICATED THIS MORNING?
KRAFT: I FELT VERY GOOD SEEING THIS PAPER BECAUSE WE HAVE WORKED VERY HARD OVER THE LAST DECADE AND A HALF TO ESTABLISH A STRONG BOND WITH OUR FANS WHERE THEY COULD TRUST AND BELIEVE IN THE INTEGRITY OF THE TEAM AND THIS STORY COMING OUT THE DAY BEFORE THE SUPER BOWL, THE BIGGEST GAME IN OUR HISTORY, GOING FOR A PERFECT SEASON WAS VERY DAMAGING AND PUT A CLOUD OVER US FOR THE LAST 3 1/2 MONTHS.AND I'M GLAD IT'S FINALLY COME TO AN END.
WAPNER: LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT HAS HUNG OVER YOUR FRANCHISE FOR MORE THAN 100 DAYS.WHAT DO YOU THINK THE RESIDUAL DAMAGE HAS BEEN TO YOUR BRAND OF THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS?
KRAFT: WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE PARTNERED WITH US OVER THE LAST 15 YEARS KNOW THAT WE PUT INDIVIDUAL EFFORT, WE SUBJUGATE THAT BACK TO THE TEAM, WE WORK HARD IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE WANT OUR SPONSORS TO BE ABLE TO EMOTIONALLY ATTACH THEMSELVES TO US AND KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO GET A VERY HIGH PERFORMANCE, HIGH GRADE PRODUCT.AND WE HAVE HAD A GREAT RELATIONSHIP WITH ALL THOSE PEOPLE OVER THIS TIME PERIOD.AND THIS ERRONEOUS STORY COMING OUT WAS REALLY HARMFUL.AND WHAT BOTHERS ME MORE ABOUT THIS STORY IS WHERE IT WENT THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY WHERE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW US AS WELL.AND UNFORTUNATELY, NOW, THEY WON'T SEE THIS RETRACTION.BUT PEOPLE WHO KNOW US, KNOW WHAT WE'RE ABOUT.
P-Bruins' Gordon cited as candidate for Atlanta coaching job
James Mirtle, the Toronto Globe and Mail's hockey blogger, recently gave a tour around the vacant coaching jobs in the NHL. His column lists Scott Gordon, the AHL's coach of the year with the Providence Bruins, as a strong candidate for the Atlanta Thrashers job previously held Don Waddell.
The Boston Herald has issued an apology for its publication of a Feb. 2 story that stated a member of the New England Patriots video staff had videotaped the St. Louis Rams' walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. The story cited an anonymous source.
Here is the text of the apology:
On Feb. 2, 2008, the Boston Herald reported that a member of the New England Patriots' video staff taped the St. Louis Rams’ walkthrough on the day before Super Bowl XXXVI. While the Boston Herald based its Feb. 2, 2008, report on sources that it believed to be credible, we now know that this report was false, and that no tape of the walkthrough ever existed.
Prior to the publication of its Feb. 2, 2008, article, the Boston Herald neither possessed nor viewed a tape of the Rams’ walkthrough before Super Bowl XXXVI, nor did we speak to anyone who had. We should not have published the allegation in the absence of firmer verification.
The Boston Herald regrets the damage done to the team by publication of the allegation, and sincerely apologizes to its readers and to the New England Patriots’ owners, players, employees and fans for our error.
On today's sports cover, Jim Donaldson has a fairly withering column on Sen. Arlen Specter's involvement with Spygate, while Steven Krasner follows the road-weary Red Sox and Mike Szostak greets the Celtics back to Boston. They're happy to be there, too.
Colleague John Mulligan calls in to report that the Matt Walsh-Arlen Specter press conference has been postponed until sometime tomorrow.
The meeting between Walsh, attorney Michael Levy and the Pennsylvania Senator is still going on presently, and the decision was made to push back the media portion until tomorrow.
Brady during 'EEI interview: Super Bowl loss was 'numbing'
Tom Brady spoke in depth about the 2007 season, and the loss to the Giants in the Super Bowl, in a wide-ranging interview on WEEI Radio this afternoon:
On whether pressure built during last season as the team remain undefeated
As a team we really insulated ourselves from it. I think the great strength of ours is our coach keeps us focused on each game, each week and each day of practice. And if we didn't have a good day of practice, we heard about it. So we never got caught up in it . . . And I think that's the way to approach it. because if you don't, you lose . . . When we started last season, the goal wasn't to go undefeated. It was to win the Super Bowl. And that will be the goal this year.
On how the Pats felt after losing the Super Bowl
It was numbing. It's just a numbing experience because we just didn't see that happening. Not that you can't lose any game, and you know going in that you can lose any game, but after the game, everyone was reflecting on what could have happened if we'd have won. I'm glad we were in that position. A lot of guys have moved on, we've made significant changes to the team. . . I think we have a great team. We start practice on Monday, I know all the guys are excited to be back.
On whether or not the Pats didn't take the Giants seriously
There was no way that we did that. I think that's why you can get over that, because I reflect back . . . we were prepared. It wasn't like we left anything on the table. It was a game of field position . . . [that was] a great defense we played and one of the best defensive lines in football. We finally scored there at the end and they just had a miraculous drive at the end to score on our defense. That game will stay with us for a long time, obviously, but hopefully we can have more opportunities. And I'm confident that we will. As long as we have [owner Robert Kraft] and [coach Bill Belichick], I'm confident that we will.
On the Giants
They have a great D-line and a very complimentary secondary with very athletic linebackers. I thought they did a good job of picking their spots to blitz us. They played incredible [in] that game.
On plays the Pats failed to make during the Super Bowl
Just before [halftime], on the strip sack, Randy [Moss] was behind the defense, but we just weren't able to find him in time. That should have been a touchdown.
On comparisons between the Pats' victory over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI, and the Giants' win over the Pats in Super Bowl XLII
There was no way we should have won that game in 2001 but we found a way to win because we executed. And I think the Giants executed that way against us this year.
On mistakes the Pats made against the Giants
We didn't have a lot of possessions and we needed to play more of an error-free game. We just made errors at the wrong time, and they capitalized.
On the game
It was a great team game for the Giants . . . For us, it was back and forth. We were in control, and then we weren't in control. If we made one or two plays, the outcome's different. I think they had a great scheme on defense, they found ways to put pressure on us, they did a great job in those short-yardage situations . . . it just wasn't our day. It just wasn't our day.
On whether he was bothered by the Giants' pass rush
I don't get ever frustrated with pressure. I was frustrated we weren't able to put together drive after drive. They put pressure on you, and we knew that.
More on the game
We went down and scored right when we needed to, at the end. We had our opportunities. That's all you can ask for in the game, and that's all you can ask for in life.
On the last-minute pass to Randy Moss that was broken up by Corey Webster
Aw, man, when I let that go, I thought we had it. I thought that was it.
Update: Specter news conference live video around 4
AP video will be offering live coverage of Sen. Arlen Specter's news conference in Washington, which will follow his meeting with former Patriots assistant Matt Walsh. The event is now expected to be at about 4. To view the video, go to this link.
Larry Bird sues owners of former home for using name
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Larry Bird has filed a lawsuit alleging a couple who bought his former home in southern Indiana are improperly using his name to promote a bed-and-breakfast.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Evansville, claims Geogianna Lincoln and Christopher Cooke did not have permission to use the NBA Hall of Famer's name with the property and are profiting off his trademark by stating the home belonged to him.
"The commercialization of Larry Bird's name in association with this former property is wholly and completely unauthorized and is blatantly being done for the sole purpose of profiting illegally from Larry Bird's name." the lawsuit states.
Cooke, an attorney in Alaska, said Tuesday that negotiations had ended in good faith with a spoken permission to use Bird's name in association with the home.
"That's what it is. Everybody in French Lick calls it Larry Bird's home," Cooke said. "All I know is they told us certain things when we were considering purchasing the property, and after we bought it they had a different story."
The Web site for the 12-acre resort called the "Legend of French Lick" advertises the property as "the former home of Larry Bird" and invites visitors to play basketball on the court where Bird "spent hours practicing and perfecting his shot when at home in French Lick."
As a star with the Boston Celtics, Bird picked up various nicknames including "the Hick from French Lick" and the "Legend of French Lick." Bird, now president of the Indiana Pacers, trademarked his name and likeness with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office to control their use in promotions and items such as T-shirts.
Cooke said he was aware of the trademark but stressed he was given permission to use it.
"They told me we could make truthful statements about Larry's past," Cooke said. "Larry even called me and wish used well and thought we would do well."
The lawsuit was filed Monday by the Indianapolis law firm Ice Miller LLP. Attorney Mark Wukmer, who is representing Bird, declined to comment Tuesday.
The lawsuit states that Lincoln and Cooke also attempted to buy furniture and memorabilia in the home to use in the resort, but the requests were denied.
Cooke, however, said Bird's representatives gave him an "appreciation packet" including basketballs signed by Bird and jerseys from Indiana State, which Bird led to the NCAA championship game in 1979.
Click the play button below to hear Sean's comments, recorded this morning. Today's topics: Clay Buchholz's troubles on the road, and how it makes the club's decision about Bartolo Colon easier, looking to deal Julian Tavarez and giving Craig Hansen a vote of confidence, Josh Beckett's assignment tonight in Baltimore, Alex Rodriguez's injury and the Rays' run for first place.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Injured Alex Rodriguez is hoping to rejoin the New York Yankees early next week.
"We're aiming for (next) Tuesday at home," Rodriguez, who is on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right quadriceps, said Tuesday after working out at the team's minor league complex. "Everyday it's much better."
He will miss the series this weekend against the crosstown rival New York Mets. He might be ready to play in extended spring training games this weekend.
"You've got to be smart, so it's a good way to go," Rodriguez said
Rodriguez hasn't played since April 28 and is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list Thursday. He took batting practice, fielded grounders and ran for about six minutes in the outfield Tuesday.
News break: Walsh has no new information on Spygate
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, speaking at the moment to the media, said Matt Walsh brought no new information on the Spygate scandal to their meeting today and that Walsh didn't tell him anything that the Patriots hadn't already been punished for.
He also made clear that Walsh did not tape the Rams' walkthrough prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, and that Walsh had no knowledge that anyone taped it.
"As I stand before you today . . . I don't know where else I would turn [for more information],'' Goodell said when asked if Spygate was over.
Special commencement for Bryant lax, baseball teams
An early commencement ceremony is becoming a tradition at Bryant University. Fifteen seniors, eight from the lacrosse team and seven from the baseball team, will receive their degrees today because they will be playing in NCAA Tournaments Saturday, Commencement Day for the rest of the senior class. The ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Bello Center Grand Hall.
The practice began a few years ago when Bryant won the Northeast-10 baseball championship. School officials realized the seniors would miss commencement because they would be on the road so they arranged a special ceremony for the seniors and their families. A similar ceremony was held last year.
Click here to see the video, from the AP, of the Spygate figure checking in to meet NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this morning. And check back here for much more throughout the day.
Here's an interesting story about a Boston-area Starbucks barista who posted a note on the door asking customers not to talk about the game, so that he/she could watch it later without knowing the outcome.
